The Effects of Anesthetic Techniques and Palonosetron Administration on the Incidence of PONV

Brief description of study

The incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) after thyroidectomy have been
shown to be relatively high compared other surgeries, with a reported incidence 65-75 %.
PONV may increase patient discomfort, delay patient discharge, and increase the cost of
patient care, the risk of postoperative bleeding which may potentially cause airway
obstruction.
It is reported that the maintenance of anesthesia with propofol-remifentanil or
sevoflurane-propofol-remifentanil decreased the incidence of PONV compared sevoflurane
alone, but failed to demonstrate the decreased incidence of PONV in 6-24 hr postoperative
period in patients undergoing thyroidectomy. Administration of Palonosetron, newly developed
5-HT3 antagonists with long half life (48 hrs) may decrease the incidence of PONV
particularly during this period.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the incidence of PONV after
thyroidectomy with three different anesthetic methods, sevoflurane or
sevoflurane-propofol-remifentanil or sevoflurane-propofol-remifentanil-palonosetron in woman
patients.